Method and device for the automatic detection of motory disturbances in a test person

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a method and a device for the automatic detection of motor super-activity of a test person ( 1 ). With the help of a transmitting-/receiving means ( 2 ), microwave signals are transmitted and reflected microwave signals formed in the reflection on the test person ( 1 ) are received. With the help of an analysis of the Doppler frequency shift between the transmitted and received microwave signals, motor super-activity events in the test person ( 1 ) are detected. The frequency of the occurrence of motor super-activity events during a specified measuring time period is determined automatically and can be used for the diagnosis of psychiatric disorders in the test person ( 1 ).

The invention relates to a method and a device for the automaticdetection of motor super-activity in a test person.

One of the most frequent disorders in child psychiatry is the so-calledADHD (“Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder”), which includesattention deficits, lack of impulse control as motor super-activity inchildren. Currently, ADHD is diagnosed primarily by using subjectivequestionnaire methods, which involves questioning the subjects sufferingfrom ADHD as well as their relatives.

Acceleration-sensitive movement meters (“Akzellerometer”), where aplurality of measuring elements are attached to the body of the testperson to record the movement of body parts, have been used to objectifythe diagnostic methods. Attaching the measuring elements requires directbody contact with the test person and may lead to reactions in the testperson which change the general movement behavior of the test person andthus severely limit the ability to evaluate the test person. Thus,methods on the basis of the “Akzellerometers” have not been able to gainacceptance in routine diagnostics.

Methods on the basis of electromyography (EMG) record only electricalmuscle activity, which is not necessarily the same as actual movement.Because not each twitching of a muscle group automatically leads to amovement of a body part, this falsifies the measuring results.Therefore, these methods are also not suitable for the diagnosis ofADHD.

Another known method for recording motor super-activity events in a testperson involves attaching optical reflectors to the body of the testperson. With the help of a transmitting means, light signals are thentransmitted into the direction of the test person to attempt to analyzethe light reflected back by the reflectors on the test person's body andobtain information about the motor super-activity of the test person.This method also has the disadvantage already mentioned earlier, i.e.,that the reflectors attached to the test person's body influence thetest person's regular movement. Furthermore, detecting the lightreflected by the various reflectors on the test person's body requires ahigh effort with respect to technical equipment.

Thus, the problem to be solved by the invention is to provide animproved method and an improved device of the type described initially,which enables a reliable automatic detection of motor super-activity ofa test person in a simple manner without influencing the remainingmovements of a test person in the performance of the method and theapplication of the device.

In accordance with the invention, this problem is solved with a methodin accordance with the independent claim 1 and a device in accordancewith the independent claim 8.

The invention comprises particular the idea to use microwave signals forthe automatic detection of motor super-activity events in a test personby using the Doppler frequency shift that occurs between the transmittedmicrowave signals and the received microwave signals reflected on thetest person as an indicator for the presence of a motor super-activityevent. Compared to the state of the art, the use of the Doppler effectin combination with microwaves has the significant advantage that themotor super-activity events can be detected at the test person's bodywithout the attachment of specific measuring means or reflectors. Inthis way, an extensive objectification of the detection of the motorsuper-activity events is achieved. The objectification of themeasurement also improves the diagnostic options in the determination ofpsychiatric disorders related to motor super-activity of the test personas well as in reviewing the effect of drug therapy following thediagnosis of such disorders.

Furthermore, the detection of any motor super-activity events in thetest person who is within the transmitting cone of the emitted microwavesignals enables a greater precision of the measurement compared to theknown “Akzellometer” test method because the “twitching” of individualmuscle groups is not falsified and registered as a motor super-activityevent.

The invention furthermore has the advantage that for the first time, itis possible to use technical means to detect super-activity eventsemanating in any body part of the test person. In this way, thenon-contact measurement can be objectively quantified globally. Thus,for routine procedures, subjective influences, which play a significantrole in the questionnaires generally used today, can be avoided.

A useful development of the new method provides that with the help of adistance measuring means, a repeated measurement of the distance betweenthe test person and the distance measuring means and/or objects in thearea of the transmitting cone and the distance measuring means isexecuted automatically in timely correlation to the transmitting of themicrowave signals. In this way, falsified measuring signals in thedetection of the motor super-activity of the test person, which are theresult of other objects in motion such as another person, for example,can be eliminated in the area of the transmitting cone if a distancethat does not correspond to the usual distance between the test personand the distance measuring means is determined in a timely correlationduring the detection of a Doppler frequency shift resulting from amovement of the test person.

In a useful development of the invention, a way of measuring thedistance which can be executed with simple means and rules out anydamage to the test person is achieved in that additional microwavesignals or optical signals are transmitted and reflected portions of thetransmitted additional microwave/optical signals are received andanalyzed to measure the distance with the help of the distance measuringmeans.

For the further objectification and discriminating effect of themeasuring results, it may be provided in an advantageous embodiment ofthe invention that the reflected microwave signals are detected over aspecified period of time in the course of resting phases and stimulatedactivity phases of the test person, with electronic information about astart and an end of the resting phases and the stimulated activityphases being recorded automatically by the evaluation device.

In a preferred development of the invention, a way of stimulating a testperson is achieved with simple means in that light signals aretransmitted with the help of a photo stimulation lamp to stimulate theactivity phases.

In a useful development, an improved diagnostic option is created inthat at least during part of the specified time period, a measurement ofthe test person's brain waves is performed with the help of a brain wavemeasuring device, with a timely electronic correlation of the brain wavesignals detected by the brain wave measuring device and the receivedreflected microwave signals as well as the determined Doppler frequencyshifts being performed automatically. The defined measuring conditionsfor measuring the brain waves also create measuring parameters for thedetection of the super-activity events, which ensures the comparabilityof the measuring results for different measurements.

A useful development of the invention may provide that by means of therecorded brain waves an error correction of the determined frequency ofoccurrence of the motor super-activity events is performed automaticallyin the specified time period with the help of the evaluation devicetaking account the timely correlation. With the occurrence of specificbrain wave signals, which can be associated with reactions of the testperson not related to a motor super-activity movement of the testperson, the Doppler frequency shifts recorded at the same time as saidbrain wave signals can be ruled out automatically as indicators formotor super-activity events.

A preferred embodiment of the invention provides that an automatic errorcorrection of the recorded brain wave signals is performed with the helpof the evaluation device, taking into account the timely correlationwith the help of the determined Doppler frequency shifts.

The dependent device claims list the aforementioned advantages inconnection with the respective related dependent method claim.

The invention is explained in greater detail in the following with theexample of an embodiment referring to illustrations, which show:

FIG. 1 a schematic representation of an arrangement to record motorsuper-activity events in a test person;

FIG. 2 a graphic representation of the example of a signal curve; and

FIG. 3 a graphic representation of the averaged frequency of motorsuper-activity event signals in test persons of various ages.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of an arrangement for theautomatic detection of motor super-activity events for a test person 1.With the help of a transmitting-/receiving means 2, microwave signalswithin a transmitting cone 3 where the test person 1 is located aretransmitted. Transmitted microwaves that are reflected at the testperson 1 can be received with the help of the transmitting-/receivingmeans 2 as reflected microwaves. The transmitting-/receiving means 2 ispreferably developed as a combined transmitting-/receiving device(transceiver), however, separate devices for the trasmitting andreceiving of microwaves may also be provided.

If a reflected microwave signal was reflected at a body part of the testperson making a movement, the reflected microwave signal has, incomparison to the transmitted microwave signals, a Doppler frequencyshift that is the result of the relative movement between the body partand the transmitting-/receiving means 2. For all received, reflectedmicrowave signals, the Doppler frequency shift relative to thetransmitted microwave signals is detected with the help of a Dopplerevaluation means 10. In the embodiment according to FIG. 1, the Dopplerevaluation means 10 is arranged in the sending-/receiving means 2. Themeasuring principle of the Doppler radar which forms the basis of thedescribed method is well known as such and used in various Doppler radardevices; therefore, said measuring principle does not require anydetailed explanation here.

FIG. 2 shows a graphic representation of the example of a measuringcurve 20 for the course of the Doppler frequency shift of the receivedmicrowave signals measured continually during a specified measuringperiod. The information concerning the Doppler frequency shift of thereceived microwave signals are transmitted by thetransmitting-/receiving means 2 to an evaluation means 4 (see FIG. 1).With the help of the evaluation means 4, which has a microprocessormeans 5 to process the transmitted electronic information for theDoppler frequency shift, the measured curve 20 is processed to generatedigitalized signals according to the principle of an analogue-digitalconversion. According to FIG. 2, rectangle impulses 21, 22, 23 and 24are generated whenever the curve 20 exceeds a threshold value S, withthe threshold value S corresponding to a preset Doppler frequency shiftthat indicates an actual motor super-activity event.

In the subsequent determination of the frequency of occurrence of motorsuper-activity events, the number of accelerating flanks 21 a, 22 a, 23a and 24 a of the rectangle impulses 21, 22, 23 and 24 is determinedautomatically with the help of the control- and evaluation device 4. Forthis purpose, the electronic results of the analog-digital-conversionare analyzed. The frequency of the motor super-activity events withinthe specified measuring period as determined in this manner providesinformation for the test person's diagnostics, such as the presence ofADHD (“attention deficit hyperactive super-activity”). For diagnosticconclusions, the frequency value determined for a test person can becompared to a calibration curve that was determined for a large numberof the test persons. With the help of a comparison of the frequencymeasuring results for a test person at various points in time, it isalso possible to analyze the effect of drug therapy for the test person.

FIG. 3 shows a graphic representation of mean values of the determinedfrequency of motor super-activity events for male (30) and female (31)test persons depending on the age of the test person. The number N oftest persons for whom the measuring results were taken into account todetermine the represented mean values is shown above the value for theage along the X-axis. A measuring point 32 is far above the averagevalues for a 13-year old test person, meaning that in said case, thereare clear indications of an ADHD.

In the following, additional details of the arrangement according toFIG. 1 are described. An essential element of thetransmitting-/receiving means 2 is a high frequency oscillator that isused as a transmitter and works in a microwave range of 9.35 GHz. Theemitted total performance of the transmitting means is approximately 1mW, although it can be adjusted to the respective application case toobtain on the one hand a sufficient signal-noise ratio, and on the otherhand, rule out with certainty any damage to the test person as a resultof microwave radiation. In connection with microwave ovens, 5 mW per cm²are considered as completely harmless for humans. In thetransmitting-/receiving means 2 used here, the response limit formovements of the test person 1 is at least 6 cm/[illegible] to a maximumof 80 km/h. A further optimization to increase the sensitivity of thetransmitting-/receiving means 2 may be provided, but may increase theproduction costs of the transmitting-/receiving unit 2, if applicable.

The high frequency oscillator used here, for example, has a cone-shapedemission characteristic of about +/−20 degrees. However, the receivingmeans detects an opening angle of approximately +/−60 degrees up to adistance of approximately 5 to 8 meters. Generally, a test person 1 islocated in a distance of 1 to 2 meters from the transmitting-/receivingmeans 2. These parameters may be adapted to various ambient conditionsdepending on the application case. To that end, one skilled in the artcan take advantage of the experiences in the area known as microwavesensory.

Furthermore, according to FIG. 1, a distance meter 6 is provided aswell. This may be any distance meter that is known as such and issuitable for use in experiments with living things, in particular due tothe source of radiation being used. Preferably, a distance meter with anoptical radiation source with low radiation intensity is used. With thehelp of the distance meter 6, the distance between the distance meter 6and the test person and/or another object in the area of thetransmitting cone 6 is measured during the specified measuring period.The results of the distance measurement are transmitted from thedistance meter 6 to the evaluation means 4 so that respective associateddistance measuring values are available as additional measuringinformation in connection with the measuring series recorded with thehelp of the transmitting-/receiving means 2. In a comparison ofdifferent measuring series, the distance measuring values thus can beused as additional criteria for evaluation or comparison, for example totake into account a distance-dependent measuring value detection of thetransmitting-/receiving means 2.

With the help of the results of the distance measurement, signals can beautomatically discarded as errors in the evaluation of the digitalizedsignals 21-24 (see FIG. 2) if at the time of the signal, a distancemeasured with the help of the distance meter 6 deviates from the usualdistance between the distance meter 6 and the test person 1, which leadsto a discontinuity and points to an object other than the test person 1.This may be, for example, someone checking the measurement and walkingbetween the distance meter 6 and the test person 1. So as to be able toassociate the measured distance signals with the digitalized signals 21to 24, the transmitting-/receiving means 2 and the distance meter 6 haveto work on a common time basis. This can be ensured, for example, withthe help of a common interval timer (not shown) in the evaluation means4 or in one of the two devices, i.e., the transmitting-/receiving means2 or the distance meter 6. Said interval timer may be a conventionalelectronic timing pulse generator as it is used to generate timeimpulses in pulsed measurements. It should be pointed out that themeasuring of the motor super-activity events on the test person 1 withthe help of the transmitting-/receiving means 2 principally can beperformed independent of the measurements with the help of the distancemeter 6. However, the use of the distance meter 6 is to reduce thenumber of falsified signals that are erroneously interpreted as motorsuper-activity events. Furthermore, in accordance with FIG. 1, a brainwave measuring device 7 is coupled to the control- and evaluation device4. With the help of the brain wave measuring means 7, a standard EEG(EEG—electroencephalography) is recorded. For this purpose, the brainwave measuring device 7 is coupled to electrodes 9 arranged on the bodyof the test person 1 through of one or a plurality of lines 8. A timelycorrelation of the brain waves measured with the help of the brain wavemeasuring means 7 and the received reflected microwave signals and/orthe Doppler frequency shifts detected therefrom is performed in theevaluation means 4. This makes it possible, when measuring the brainwaves with the help of the brain wave measuring means 7 and measuringthe motor super-activity events with the help of thetransmitting-/receiving means 2, to rule out mutual falsified signals.This is performed in the evaluation means 4 with the help of anautomatic error correction. Thus, this makes it possible, for example,to rule out specific signals of the digitalized signals 21-24 asindicators for a motor super-activity event if it is determined from thecourse of the measured brain waves that a movement of a body part of thetest person 1 cannot have occurred. Vice versa, the digitalized signals21-24 can also offer conclusions abut erroneous brain wave signals.

Thus, a combination of the transmitting-/receiving means 2 and the brainwave measuring device 7 enables a reduction of the frequency of errorsin the detection of the motor super-activity events. However, this is animproved embodiment of the device for the detection of motorsuper-activity events in a test person 1 because the method fordetermining the motor super-activity events can also be performedwithout a combination with the brain wave measuring means 7.

In connection with the measuring of brain waves, the test person 1 willgenerally pass through resting phases and stimulated activity phases ina specified manner. Stimulated activity phases may comprise ahyperventilation of the test person 1, for example. A photo stimulationlamp 11 (see FIG. 1), which is coupled with the control- and evaluationdevice 4, is provided to stimulate the activity phases. An effectivephoto stimulation lamp is a conventional lamp for emitting light, whichcan be operated in impulse operation. It has been experienced that theprescribed standardized measuring conditions for the measuring of brainwaves, in particular the specified sequence of resting phases andstimulated activity phases, support the comparability and/or statisticalaccuracy of the measuring results for the automatic detection of thefrequency of motor super-activity events for the test person 1, with inparticular the measuring results being detected in the resting phasesbeing evaluated for diagnostics. In the automatic determination of thefrequency, the control- and evaluation means 4 automatically takes intoaccount electronic information concerning the timely association ofresting phases and stimulated phases of activity during the specifiedmeasuring period.

The control- and evaluation device 4, including the micro processormeans 5, may be developed as separate unit, as is shown schematically inFIG. 1 by means of the block representation, or it can be integrated inone of the measuring devices, i.e., the transmitting-/receiving means 2or the distance meter 6 or the brain wave measuring means 7. Thedetected measuring signals and/or the results determined in theevaluation, for which a respective time information, i.e. in particularinformation concerning the time of day and/or the day and/or theduration of the measurement, can be generated in the described measuringarrangement, can be shown on a display means 12. In another embodiment,the display means 12 can be combined with the transmitting-/receivingmeans 2 or the distance meter 6 or the brain wave measuring means 7. Themeasuring devices, i.e., the transmitting-/receiving means 2 and/or thedistance meter 6 and/or the brain wave measuring means 7, in as far asthey are provided in the respective embodiment, are provided as singledevices, or they may be combined in one device. The single devices orthe combination devices are preferably developed as portable devices,which for the user simplifies the handling in diagnostics use.

The advantages related to the method and the device for the detection ofthe motor super-activity events are also obtained without a combinationwith the distance meter 6 and/or the brain wave measuring device 7. Theessential advantages include that the entire physical motor skills ofthe test person 1 can be detected. Only the actual movements of the testperson 1 are detected, but not the contraction of the muscles. There isno actual contact whatsoever between the measuring device in form of thetransmitting-receiving means 2 being used and the body of the testperson 1, which could influence the usual movement sequence of the testperson and lead to a falsification of the measuring result. Thedescribed measuring device is easy to handle and thus suitable forroutine use to detect measuring results.

The characteristics of the invention disclosed in the precedingdescription, the claims and the illustration may be of significance forthe realization of the invention in its various embodiments eitherindividually or also in any combination.

1. Method for the automatic detection of motor super-activity in a testperson (1) with the method comprising the following steps: Transmittingmicrowave signals in a transmitting cone (3) by means of a microwavetransmission means (2) for a specified period of time: Receivingreflected microwave signals that are formed in the reflection of thetransmitted microwave signals on a test person located in the area ofthe transmitting cone (3), by means of a microwave receiving means (2);Automatic determination of Doppler frequency shifts between thetransmitted microwave signals and reflected microwave signals resultingfrom motor super-activity events in the test person (1) by means of aDoppler evaluation means (10); and Automatic determination of afrequency of occurrence of motor super-activity events in the specifiedtime period depending on the determined Doppler frequency shifts, bymeans of an evaluation means (4).
 2. Method in accordance with claim 1,characterized in that in timely correlation to the transmitting of themicrowave signals, a repeated measurement of the distance between thetest person (1) and the distance measuring means (6) and/or objects inthe area of the transmitting cone (3) and the distance measuring means(6) is performed with the help of a distance measuring means (6). 3.Method in accordance with claim 2, characterized in that additionalmicrowave signals or optical signals are transmitted to measure thedistance with the help of a distance measuring means (6), and reflectedparts of the transmitted additional microwave signals or optical signalsare received and evaluated.
 4. Method in accordance with claim 1,characterized in that the reflected microwave signals are detectedduring the specified time period in the course of resting phases and ofstimulated activity phases of the test person (1), with electronicinformation about a start and an end of the resting phases and thestimulated activity phases being recorded automatically by theevaluation device (4).
 5. Method in accordance with claim 4,characterized in that light signals are transmitted with the help of aphoto stimulation lamp to stimulate the activity phases.
 6. Method inaccordance with claim 1, characterized in that at least during a part ofthe specified time period, a measurement of the test person's brainwaves is performed with the help of a brain wave measuring device (7),with an electronic timely correlation of the brain wave signals detectedby the brain wave measuring device (7) being performed automatically forthe received reflected microwave signals as well as the determinedDoppler frequency shifts.
 7. Method in accordance with claim 6,characterized in that with the help of the evaluation device (1) andtaking into account the timely correlation by means of the detectedbrain wave signals, an error correction of the determined frequency ofoccurrence of the motor super-activity events during the specified timeperiod is performed automatically.
 8. Method in accordance with claim 6,characterized in that with the help of the evaluation device (4) andtaking into account the timely correlation, an error correction isperformed automatically with the help of the automatically determinedDoppler frequency shifts of an error correction of the detected brainwave signals.
 9. Device for the automatic detection of motorsuper-activity in a test person (1), with the device having thefollowing characteristics: a microwave transmitting means (2) totransmit microwave signals in a transmitting cone (3) for a specifiedtime period; a microwave receiving means (2) to receive reflectedmicrowave signals that are formed when the transmitted microwave signalsreflect on a test person (1) located in the range of the transmittingcone (3); a Doppler evaluation means (10) for the automaticdetermination of Doppler shifts between the transmitted microwavesignals and reflected microwave signals as a result of motorsuper-activity events in the test person (1); and an evaluation device(4) for the automatic determination of a frequency of the occurrence ofmotor super-activity events depending on the Doppler frequency shiftsdetermined during the specified time period.
 10. Device in accordancewith claim 9, characterized by a local memory means for the electronicstorage of information related to the determined Doppler frequencyshifts and/or the determined frequency of the occurrence of the motorsuper-activity events.
 11. Device in accordance with claim 9,characterized in that the device is developed as a portable handhelddevice.
 12. Device in accordance with claim 9, characterized in that themicrowave transmitting means and the microwave receiving means areintegrated in one transmitting-/receiving means (2).
 13. Device inaccordance with claim 9, characterized in that the microwavetransmitting means and the microwave receiving means for the timelycoordination of the transmitting of the microwave signals and thereceiving of the reflected microwave signals with a brain wavemeasurement in the test person (1) with the help of a brain wavemeasuring device (7) are coupled to a common interval timer unit. 14.Device in accordance with claim 13, characterized in that a photostimulation lamp for transmitting light signals is coupled to the brainwave measuring device (7).
 15. Use of a device in accordance with one ofthe claims 9 claim 9 for the automatic detection of motor super-activityevents in a test person, in particular for a diagnostic examination todetermine ADHD super-activity (“Attention Deficit HyperactiveSuper-activity”) depending on determined Doppler frequency shifts ofmicrowave signals.